Shattered by Teri Terry

GoodReads Summary: Kyla is in danger from both the government Lorders who erased her memory and the terrorists who tried to use her. So now she’s on the run. Sporting a new identity and desperate to fill in the blank spaces of her life pre-Slating, Kyla heads to a remote mountain town to try to reunite with the birth mother she was kidnapped from as a child. There she is hoping all the pieces of her life will come together and she can finally take charge of her own future. But even in the idyllic wilderness and the heart of her original family, Kyla realizes there is no escape from the oppressive Lorders. Someone close to her may be one of them, and even more frighteningly, her birth mother has been keeping secrets of her own.

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Source: Publisher

Thoughts:

As far as conclusions to trilogies go Shattered was a good one.

Kyla is still wound up about what happened to Ben and her love for him. Instead of hurting and sympathising with her I wasn't really bothered. Why? Because I wasn't emotionally invested in the romance between Ben and and Kyla in book one. It felt like it was thrown in just for the sake of having a romance; it was dull and so was Ben to be honest. For this reason, as harsh as it may sound to some, I didn't really care much about what happened to Ben.

I was, however, pleased with the way Aiden and Kyla's relationship evolved. *highlight to read spoiler* He was the guy I was rooting for as a love interest, and although Kyla was pretty much oblivious to his feeling until the very end I am glad that the book hinted at a future for the two of them. One of the many things I appreciated about Aiden was that he completely supported Kyla, without being pushy or condescending. In contrast to Ben, he was a fully developed character.

Many of the long awaited answers to questions readers have dying to know are answered in this book. Kyla's journey of self discovery continues and she finally learns the truth about her past. If there was only one thing I could say about this book it would be that there is no lack of character development on the part of the mc. She grows and grows, coming out stronger in the end. Furthermore, Terry's writing style really adds to the horrors of what goes down in this book, adding tension and edge to the story. The freakiest thing about this trilogy is that it seems realistic, like the events that took place could actually happen.

In an overcrowded genre, Slated is a unique dystopian trilogy.

Rating:

Quotable Quotes (#2)

Quotable quotes is a new feature in which I share quotes from books that I've enjoyed.

This week I will be sharing I quote from Ninth Key(US)/High stakes (UK), the second book in Meg Cabot's Mediator series. It's one of my favorites series' by her.

"I may have been dead for the past hundred and fifty years, Susannah,” Jesse said, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how people say good night. And generally, when people say good night, they keep their tongues to themselves.” 

Hehe!

Have you read The Mediator series? If you have, are you excited as I am about the fact that there is going to be a 7th book?! I mean I am happy with the way it ended, but I'll never say no to more Suze and Jesse!

Quotable quotes (#1)

Quotable quotes is a new feature in which I share quotes from books that I've enjoyed.

This week I will be sharing a quote from one of my favourite books, Sabriel by Garth Nix. I read it last year and was really impressed.

x watched, suddenly conscious that he probably only had five seconds left to be alone with Sabriel, to say something, to say anything. Perhaps the last five seconds they ever would have alone together.
I am not afraid, he said to himself.
"I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.” 

Adorable, no? :) (Not sure if mentioning the name of the love interest is a spoiler, but I took it out just in case).

Have you read Sabriel?

Mini review: Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

GoodReads Summary: When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

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Source: Edelweiss  

Thoughts:

For a story about assassins and magic Death Sworn sure was boring. I had expected to find excitement, action, and a ship worthy romance in this book. But no, Death Sworn held no excitement, the romance and characters were dull and lusterless.

To begin with, I found myself liking Ileni. However, as the story progressed I become more and more detached from her. While I appreciated the growth she went through I can't say I was particularly bothered one way or another about what happened to her.

As a love interest, Sorin didn't really appeal to me. His character as a whole was pretty under developed; there was just no growth. As for the romance it lacked chemistry, there wasn't really a genuine sense of connection between Sorin and Ileni.

Death Sworn could have been great, but sadly it failed to hit the mark.

Rating:

Stacking the Shelves (#19)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga Reviews.

Purchased:

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn
Hope this is as good as it sounds!

A Phantom Enchantment by Eve Marie Mont

Have you read/do you plan to read any of these books? :)

Stacking the Shelves (#18)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga Reviews.

Purchased:

Ruins by Dan Wells
I am so, so, SO excited to read this!

Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed
Just as enjoyable as the first book, Secrets & Sapphires. Definitely recommended this trilogy to fans of Dowton Abbey!

Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson
It's taken me a long time to get to this, which is strange because I am a big fan of YA high fantasy. It was Judith's fangirling on Twitter that lead me to finally purchase the trilogy. Overall, I ended up really liking it. :)

Half Bad by Sally Green
I've been on the fence about this book, but Sam's review gave me the push I needed to purchase it!

 

Have you read/do you plan to read any of these books? :)

Mini review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

GoodReads Summary: In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

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Source: Edelweiss
Expected publication date: 22/04/14

Thoughts:

Anne Blankman is a truly standout author in the YA historical fictional genre. She mixes real life events with fiction, and makes the reader look at history in a new and fascinating light.

Interestingly, the image Blankman paints of Hitler is not one we are accustomed to. We see him through the eyes of the main character, Gretchen. To her 'Uncle Dolf' is kind, gentle, and utterly charming. It's not until she encounters a Jewish reporter named Daniel, that she begins to questions everything that she's been lead to believe. Gretchen was a strong and admirable mc; I found myself easily empathizing and rooting for her.  The 'forbidden romance' angle of the story was, in my opinion, well crafted. There's no over the top drama or insta-love. Instead the romance develops at a slow and believable pace, as Daniel opens Gretchen's eyes to the truth. The secondary characters were also well developed - from Gretchen's cold and ruthless brother, and distant mother, to her friends Eva and Geli.

The first in a planned trilogy, Prisoner of Night and Fog is a stunning story that I highly recommend to fans of books like The Book Thief. 

In profile, she saw things about his features she hadn't noticed before: the straightness of his nose, the full shape of his lips, the sharp point of his chin. Why couldn't he appear the way he was supposed to? The human shape of his face, the human smell of him-all combined to make it difficult to remember he was a subhuman.
* Quote taken from e-arc. May be subject to change.

Rating: